Finale (E5)
Finale is the fifteenth and final episode of Endurance: High Sierras. Overview The Purple and Green teams put their friendship aside to win the Grand Prize trip to Hawaii. In their final time at the Temple , the Purple team starts with six pyramid pieces and the Green teams starts with seven. Summary The contestants’ last afternoon in the High Sierras begins with their final meeting with JD . JD tells Cealey , Alex, Kelsey and Dakota that from now on they will most likely view their lives as being divided in two halves — that is, before and after their Endurance experience. To help the players remember their time in the High Sierras, he has a little present for each of them. He hands the final four contestants their gifts — a Karma pyramid piece! The contestants are all very grateful to have such a unique reminder of their High Sierras experience. JD reminds them, however, that they have unfinished business — the Endurance 5 champion still needs to be decided! To prepare for the showdown at Temple, JD hands the two teams replicas of the pieces they’ve earned throughout the course of the game. They will play with the pieces in the upcoming mission. Heading into the final game, Green has a slight lead, with seven pieces over Purple’s six. Before he leaves, JD urges the contestants to savor their last few moments in the treehouses. After JD departs, the players start to pack their gear and reflect on their time on Endurance. Kelsey says that in the beginning she wasn’t sure if she would even make it past the first few days — and never thought she could make it to the final day. Dakota says that he could stay on Endurance forever, and that he would do it again in a heartbeat. He is very proud that he has made it this far in the game without having used the triangle of Immunity, or ever going to Temple! Alex never expected that he would adapt so well to the environment. He thought he was going to have withdrawals from TV and candy, but he has adjusted enough to make it this far into the game. Cealey admits that the Green team was carried in the beginning by their friendship with Purple. But then Green won a mission and started coming in second and third regularly. The final turning point came when they beat out undefeated Blue at Temple. That victory helped Cealey grow stronger; knowing that she had conquered Temple made her realize she could do anything! Finally, the moment of truth arrives and the teams must begin their long journey to the Temple of Fate. They climb down the ladders for the last time and say goodbye to the treehouses that have been their home over the past several weeks. As they make their way to Temple, the contestants share their feelings as they prepare to play the last game ever on Endurance: High Sierras. Dakota is extremely nervous going into Temple — butterflies have overtaken his stomach. On the other hand, Alex is not nervous at all! In fact, he wonders what there is to be nervous about; they are all friends here and making it to the final two is a win in its own right. Cealey is also confident. No one ever expected Green to make it this far. She thinks they will win that trip to Hawaii! Kelsey muses that their chances against Green are pretty equal, since it won’t be too hard to get that one piece back. However, she thinks the Green players are feeling overly confident, which will work to Purple’s advantage. The contestants arrive at Temple and are greeted by JD, who welcomes Green for the second time and Purple for the first. Wasting little time, he explains how the final game will work. A series of silver pyramid pieces will appear on the gameboard. One team will attempt to guess under which silver piece lies a gold pyramid. They will guess by covering as many silver pieces as they want with the facsimile pieces JD had given them earlier in the day, as long as they leave at least one space open for the other team. Whichever team correctly chooses the piece with the golden pyramid will win all the pieces on the table! In each round, another silver pyramid piece will be added to the board, and the contestants will play until one team is in possession of all 13 pieces. The victors will be crowned Endurance champs! Purple kicks off the first round, covering two of the three silver pyramids. Green must cover the middle pyramid, and they await the results of the first round. One of Purple’s pieces is flipped over, revealing that it did not contain the gold pyramid. One of Green’s and one of Purple’s is left â€¦ who will win the first round? The pyramids flip over, revealing the golden one under Purple’s piece. Purple has reclaimed the one piece they were behind and now has the lead, with seven pieces to Green’s six. The second round begins. It is now Green’s chance to choose where the gold piece is. They decide to cover two of the silver pyramids — half of the four that are now on the table. Purple fills in the other pieces, and the teams nervously await the results of the second round. One Green and one Purple piece are turned over, revealing that they did not hide the gold pyramid. Green and Purple each have one piece on the table. The two pieces flip to reveal that Green has the golden pyramid! The power has shifted back to the Green team, who now has eight pieces, leaving Purple with five. Kelsey is beginning to look nervous. Purple must decide how many of the remaining five silver pyramids to cover. They debate about covering two or three, but ultimately choose to cover only two. Green covers the other three, and they await the results of the third round. Two of Green’s pieces and one of Purple’s are turned over, revealing nothing. It comes down to one for Purple and one for Green. The winner of round three is... Purple. They collect all the pieces on the table, giving them eight pieces and Green three, shifting the power for a third time! Now six silver pyramids are in play, and Green decides to cover three of them. The tension mounts as Alex hesitates over which piece to cover. Purple covers the rest of the pieces, and JD reminds Green that if they lose this round, they will have only two pieces left. Purple would have 11, pushing them closer to the win. The players begin to turn over the pieces, and it comes down to one for each team — Green has the Heart piece and Purple has Courage. Who has the gold pyramid? It is Green! They collect all the pieces, shifting the lead once again. The count is now eight pieces for Green and five for Purple. Seven silver pieces remain to be covered. Purple decides to cover only three of them. Green covers the other spots, putting half of their remaining pieces on the table. Purple has only two pieces left. JD reminds them that if they lose this round, there might only be one round left. Purple gets more nervous each round, with Kelsey covering her mouth in fear as the pieces begin to turn over. As always, it comes down to one piece for Green and one for Purple. The tension mounts as the contestants wait to see who will come out on top in the fifth round. And the winner is ... Green, again! Purple is visibly shaken, as they sacrifice all but two of their pieces, giving Green a total of 11. Kelsey begins to cry, and Dakota comforts her. Dakota asks Kelsey if she wants to put down both of their pieces, or just one. She says one, and they choose the Teamwork piece. Green must cover all the others. If Cealey and Alex win this round, they are one piece away from winning the entire game. Two by two, the silver pyramids are turned over to reveal nothing underneath. Kelsey, burying her head in Dakota’s shoulder, can’t stand to look as they await their fate. Finally, only one piece remains on the table for each team. Who has the gold pyramid? It is Green’s again, giving them 12 pieces. One more and they will win the championship! Purple is distraught as they decide where to put their lone piece. Can they place their one piece under the correct pyramid? They put their piece down but then hesitate and move it to another piece on the other side of the board. Green covers the other pieces, and the uneven odds are quite visible. JD wonders if Purple can make the “comeback of the century.” Once again, two by two, all of Green’s pieces are eliminated except one, leaving Purple’s piece and Green’s piece. JD notes that it comes down to the place Purple first chose, and the one they ultimately landed on. The tension has never been higher! The pieces are slowly turned over, and the gold pyramid is under ... Green’s! Green has captured all 13 pieces, making them the champs of Endurance: High Sierras. JD congratulates Purple for having played a great game, and then awards Green their grand prize: a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii! Cealey and Alex are the first Green team to have won it all on Endurance! Production Notes Quotes *'J.D.:' "Okay, I said on the first day that your life would be before Endurance and after; the friends you made would last for a lifetime." *'Cealey:' "Everybody's saying their goodbyes to every little spot that they loved or had a memory from, and signing stuff and getting information from everybody, and just trying to remember this place the best they can." *'Kelsey: '"You know, before I came here, I was thinking I wouldn't be here for three days... (flashback to her falling in Hangin' Around)... you know, and I made it to the final two, and, I just never found out it was possible, and this experience, it wasn't what I thought it would be— I thought that it'd be a typical game, and it's so much more than that, you know, some of the games are really challenging, but the most challenging part is having no contact with all the people you care about; to make it far into this game, you definitely need to be a strong person. Watching the show, I never realized that." *'Dakota:' "I would stay on Endurance for the rest of my life, I mean living in a treehouse? I'd do it again in a heartbeat; my proudest moment on Endurance was definitely making top two— I've came all this way, battled through trolls and ogres, and made top two without having to use immunities or going to Temple once, and that's a huge accomplishment for me, and for Green to take that away from me, that just won't be fun." *'Alex:' "I never expected on I was going to adapt this well to the environment— I thought I was gonna have like withdrawals from TV, you know, sugar and candy, but I didn't, and I learned to adjust to my surroundings and it feels good; before I got out here I thought it was all about winning, you know, taking home the gold, but as I started to get to know people, I found out that winning wasn't really the most important thing it was about making strong friendships, and I think it's a great thing." *'Cealey: '"In the beginning, we were definitely carried by our friendship. Then, suddenly Green wins a mission, we started coming in second and third, beating out Blue, the undefeated team, up at Temple. That was really amazing and it made me really stronger mentally and physically, saying 'I just beat out Temple, I can do anything'." *'Kelsey:' (hugging Cealey in the treehouse) "I'm gonna miss you..." *'Cealey:' "Seeing our huts for the last time, I'm gonna really miss it— it's so beautiful out here, the sounds, the sight I'm truly going to miss it." *'Dakota:' "You guys are making me teary-eyed." *'Alex:' "I never expected to get this close to everybody I thought we were just gonna be like, 'Game, okay, done, let's go', but I can't walk away from these friendships, they're too strong." *'Dakota:' "It's a battle of mass proportions in my stomach right now against butterflies and calmness, and the butterflies are winning right now." *'Alex:' "I'm very confident, and I know Purple's very nervous, I mean what's there to nervous about? We're friends, you know; you know you want to win, but final two is great, and if they win, then congratulations, I'm not really nervous." *'Cealey:' "Nobody ever though Green would get this far, but look where we are— ahead of the game, seven to six and I think Green's gonna win the whole thing; I think we're going to Hawaii!" *'Kelsey:' "Our chances are almost 50/50, because they only have one more piece, and that shouldn't be too hard to get back; we're hoping it's not, but Green is going in overly confident, and usually luck isn't in your favor when you're too full of yourself..." *'J.D.:' "Purple, first visit up to the Temple of Fate in almost a month; you guys are finally here, what do you think?" **'Dakota:' "Uh, fantastic, um..." **'Kelsey:' "It's really pretty." **'Dakota:' "Cool vibe to it." *'J.D.:' "20 kids started this game, but you four are gonna finish it right here, right now." *'Dakota:' "Why does it always come down to this?" *'Alex:' "It's okay, guys." **'Kelsey:' (sobbing hysterically) "No, it's not!" **'Dakota:' "No, it's good." **'Alex:' "It's just a game." *'J.D.:' (while Purple is deciding where to put the Perseverance piece) "The biggest decision since you guys have been here." *'J.D.:' "It either means the comeback of the century for the Purple team, or Endurance Champ for the Green team." *'J.D.:' "It actually comes down to the spot you put your piece on, and the spot Kelsey actually put the piece on to start." **'Kelsey:' "I'm sorry if that's not it!" **'Dakota:' "It's okay." *'Dakota:' "We came in here with high hopes..." *'J.D.:' (after Green is crowned Endurance Champion) "Green team, you won when you had to, and won when you needed to." *'Cealey:' "Oh my gosh, I just feel so great, I feel like I just won the lottery; I can't believe I just won Endurance!" *'Alex:' "The Green team is all about stepping it up under pressure." *'Darci:' (exit interview) "I'm actually going to miss the whole environment out here, and everyone back at the huts, and it's gonna be pretty sad going back." *'Lilly:' (exit interview) "This is definitely my dream come true, I mean out of ten thousand people, I'm on Endurance, and that's just amazing." *'Connor:' (exit interview) "I definitely look back on this experience as a lot more positive than negative." *'Kristine:' (exit interview) "Just being able to be out here is just so much fun, and I never thought it'd be like this." *'Cameron:' (exit interview) "I'm really surprised that I got as connected as I did, because I got more connected with them, than I do my friends at home, and they're great people, and I love them." Trivia *Coincidentially, the episode aired on St. Patrick's Day, and the Green Team won. *This marks the first time that the Green Team has won Endurance, and the second consecutive second-place finish for the Purple Team. Episode Links *Endurance: High Sierras Finale on Veoh (full episode) Category:Episodes Category:Season Finales Category:Season 5 episodes